Back Alley Vet Care

A Rhode Island man was charged with animal cruelty for performing surgery to remove a cyst from his 14-year-old dog. Although Alan MacQuittie pleaded no contest to the charges of cruelty to animals and unauthorized practice of veterinary medicine, he defended what he did, saying that he'd performed similar operations in the military and was only trying to help his dog. He simply couldn't afford to take Nakita to a vet.

While Nakita is expected to make a full recovery, she had to go in for a second surgery after she was rescued because the wound had become infected. MacQuittie had tried to numb the dog's pain with the over-the-counter human medications Orajel, for teething and other minor oral pain, and Lanacane, a topical anti-bacterial/anti-itch product, which MacQuittie apparently decided to inject as a local anesthetic.

Even with the growing pet insurance industry, the cost of vet care poses a problem for many well-intentioned pet owners. But do-it-yourself vet care doesn't pay off.

Assuming MacQuittie was not a military veterinarian, his "experience" would have been minor surgery on people. As we know from the ineffectiveness of animal testing, human and animal physiology are not the same. Despite the occasional vet-saves-heroine story line in movies, veterinarians shouldn't be operating on or dispensing medical advice to humans, and human doctors shouldn't be attempting to treat animals.

Then there's the "back alley" part of home operations. It's no surprise that poor Nakita ended up needing a second operation. Any operation, on any species, needs a sterile environment to avoid infection. You also need appropriate anesthetic during the procedure and post-op pain management. Teething medication just doesn't cut it for controlling pain when there's a scalpel involved. Not all human medications are safe for animals, so guessing which ones to use without the guidance of a veterinarian is dangerous.

Surgery on older animals can also be risky for a number of reasons, and Nakita is lucky that she's made it out of two with such a good prognosis. And, although MacQuittie saved the cyst in an old jelly jar, what was the purpose of the operation? Benign cysts are often uglier than they are painful; vets often recommend removal for testing more than comfort. If the mass is more than a cyst, then removal can help stall the spread of cancerous cells, but this is well out of the territory of home diagnosis.

MacQuittie is not alone in wanting to help his dog, but being unable to pay for treatment. Maybe the proposed tax deductions for pet care would help some people in his position make the choice to go to a vet. There are also a number of organizations that offer financial aid to pet owners who meet certain criteria. Some local humane society clinics have sliding scales for their fees or reduced rates for senior citizens or low-income residents.

No one is saying it's easy to face a crisis with limited resources, but back alley vet care isn't the answer.

Photo credit: Andy G